I have a 17 year old little terrier mix, and although he is physically well for his age he is suffering from mental decline (doggie dementia) he is also deaf and partially blind and has arthritis in his hips and paws which he receives injections for that help to a certain degree.
I have been toying with the idea of euthanasia for him as I dont feel he has a great quality of life, but as I've had him half of my life and he was also the very first dog I had its a very hard decision to make.
But situations have changed and I am facing homelessness, my only choice is to move in with my mother who has a dog aggressive dog. The idea of euthanasia is starting to look like my only option, I feel rehoming him is not fair on such an old dog who is mentally frail, and finding temporary boarding for him i feel would be stressful and not financially feasible.
My daughter who is five is finding it hard to understand. I dont know how to explain it to her in a kid friendly way. She has known this dog all her life and they are very close with each other, like inseparable, which is also leading me to hesitation. It would break her heart. I just want to know if this is the right thing to do, if this is in my dogs best interest and if so, how do you approach explanation to a young child?
4 Replies
Yes, I think euthanasia would be appropriate in this case. The other options would be too traumatic for the dog.
I wouldn’t use the word euthanasia, that’s a complex topic. I’d explain that when dogs, pets and people get really old they die and go to heaven. It makes us sad and we miss them, so it’s important to say goodbye and tell them that we love them and remember all the good times we had with them.
Yes, she will be sad, and that’s ok. It’s an important emotion and it’s important that we allow our kids to experience it.
We explained to our 5 year that our pets ran out of batteries he understood that good luck and I’m sorry for your lose
And to add don’t lie to your child death is a fact of life. Kids are stronger then you think be open and honest in a kid friendly may
I went to my local library and asked about then borrowed age appropriate books that explain death of pets. At the time our golden retriever had tumour in his throat. Medication kept him going for another 2 or 3 years after diagnosis (much to the amazement of the vet), and it was arthritis in the hips that made the decision to have him put down. Reading the book initially enabled me to be able to talk to my boys about what would eventually happen. When it did happen I was able to explain how it was a good thing, that our dog was now in a better place where he could run and jump and bark without being in pain any longer.